Volkswagen Passat Estate
Meet the new boss. Same as the old one?
Keith suffers from déjà vu as he waves goodbye to his Audi A6 and says hello to a Volkswagen Passat.
Date: 2 March 2016 | Current mileage: 3352 | Claimed economy: 61.4mpg | Actual economy: 43.5mpg
I have a confession to make - I’m a bit of Volkswagen Passat fan. For ages, I’ve wanted a 1970s B1 but never found the right one. I did own a B3 for a bit, though, and ran a B5 too. My last Passat was a B6 that I sold a few years ago. And a cracking car it was as well.
Much like this one actually, but I’m obviously biased. Our new long-termer is a mid-range model that’s been cleverly disguised to look like it means business. So underneath the chrome-laden R-line body trim, is the same 2.0-litre diesel engine that was in our Audi A6 Avant, only with slightly less power - 150PS.
It’s hooked up to a six-speed DSG gearbox. If you’re not a fan of automatic gearboxes (or like me are more used to lazy three-speed autos from the 1970s), then this might change your mind. I’ll spare you the technobabble, apart from saying that these DSG units have two clutches and this is what makes the gear changes quick and nearly-seamless.
Our car also has adaptive cruise control. Which means that it follows the car in front at a pre-determined distance. With the DSG gearbox, it will actually take the hard work out of stop-start traffic for you. Even if it’s set at 70mph, it’ll come right down to 0mph in a traffic jam and pick up again if the traffic starts to move.
Passat's cabin is comfortable and well-specified
So our new long-termer has plenty of gadgets to play with, but the bit I like best of all is that they engineered in the same Passat diesel grumble they’ve had since the early 2000s. Even though our Audi had the same engine, it didn’t have that familiar Volkswagen grumble.
Also familiar (and very welcome) is the load-carrying capacity. The boot is cavernous and, despite the Passat and the A6 sharing the same underpinnings, the Volkswagen has 85 more litres carrying capacity with the seats up and 1780 litres with the seats down (that’s 100 more than the A6).
How else does it compare to the more premium model? Well, as you’d expect, the A6 is a more refined car that feels as though it handles better. But when you’re looking for a family load lugger, you’re not really looking for a car that’s the quickest point to point. Unless you’re buying an £80k 560PS RS6.
But as you can probably guess, the real difference between the Audi and the Volkswagen is the price. An entry-level A6 Avant will set you back £34k – while the entry-level Passat estate is £10k cheaper (and the entry level Skoda Superb estate £22k). That said, all the toys on our car mean it has a list price of £35,800. Over the next few months, we’ll be finding out if it’s worth it.
Taking on the traffic in our Volkswagen Passat
Local flooding and road closures cause gridlock on Keith’s commute, but gives him the chance to check out the adaptive cruise control.
Date: 16 March 2016 | Current mileage: 3645 | Claimed economy: 61.4mpg | Actual economy: 43.8mpg
As the rain fell and the roads flooded, the traffic on my local commute ground to a halt. The A14 in Northamptonshire had been closed and all those cars were now using my route to work as a way to get to their destination. A trip that should’ve taken 30 minutes, ended up taking two hours.
Not that I’m complaining, mind. The extra road time gave me a chance to get to know our new long-term Volkswagen Passat. Our R-line model is nicely specified and one of its options is a rather fancy cruise control system.
This adaptive system senses if the traffic is heavy and slows you down accordingly. So while you might have set it for 70mph, you’ll only be going as quickly as the car in front. And if that traffic should grind to a halt, so will you – all without having to touch a thing.
As the traffic ebbs and flows, you’ll speed up and slow down while maintaining a safe distance from the car in front. If the worst happens and it all grounds to a halt, then so will you. And all you have to do to resume the game of ‘follow my leader’ is brush the throttle.
Even the Passat's clever sat-nav couldn't re-route us around the traffic
Sounds great, doesn’t it – but how good is it in real world driving conditions? The answer, as I found out, was pretty good. In fact, as I clocked up five miles in 90 minutes, I was extremely thankful for it. It took all the stress out of managing the stop-start traffic. And, thanks to the Passat’s stop-start technology, it didn’t hammer my fuel consumption either.
As the Passat also has lane assist to keep you on the straight and narrow, I was hoping for a completely hands-off experience in the traffic. But, sensibly, you’re still required to keep your hands on the wheel. If the car senses you’ve zoned out, it will attract your attention with a series of beeps and bleeps.
So we know the cruise control handles traffic jams well, but what about normal driving conditions? Here, it’s as good as any other system. Which is to say perfectly fine, but it’s not human. So, for example, while you might have spotted the brake lights flashing in the line of traffic up ahead, the Passat only has eyes for the car in front. And if he’s not braking, neither will you.
This can result in some rather spectacular late-braking if it remains unchecked, so you’ll find yourself stepping in from time to time. On the whole though, we were pleasantly surprised by how good this driver aid was.
The truth about Volkswagen build quality
Volkswagen's build quality is supposed to be the stuff of legend - but is it real or just a myth?
Date: 6 April 2016 | Current mileage: 3819 | Claimed economy: 61.4mpg | Actual economy: 43.2mpg
For years, Volkswagen has been selling its cars based on quality. Remember the ‘just like a Golf’ advert from a few years ago? Where a couple buying a budget motor are told by the salesman that the car door closes with that quality feel '… just like a Golf.' An implication of quality that goes across the entire Volkswagen brand.
If only the door on our long-term Volkswagen Passat shut just like a Golf. When it does shut, it does so with a satisfying ‘thunk’ of a premium motor. But most of the time the door closes, you can’t hear the thunk over the beep telling you that the door hasn’t shut properly.
I’ve checked countless times for missing toy parts, stray seatbelts, animals… anything. But no – the door just doesn’t shut. I’d love to say this is the only build quality issue with our long-termer, but it isn’t.
For example, the chances of opening the boot from the keyfob are remote (geddit?). And when it does open, it seems to stop half-way until you press it again when it closes. Things don’t improve when you try and close the electronic tailgate using the button on the boot, which needs two or three presses to do its job. And did I mention the fact that once or twice it's closed randomly...on my head?
Passat's 18-inch wheels and low profile tyres are noisy on the road
Other quality issues? Well, there is a surprising amount of road noise – but this could be down to the low-profile tyres. Although on long journeys the racket has been so bad that I’ve actually stopped the car a couple of times to check all the doors were shut.
And then there’s the driver aids. The parking sensors are slow on the uptake after you turn the ignition on – and then seem to stay on long after the manoeuvre’s been completed. You also get warnings about tyre pressures. Sometimes these are accurate and one wheel might be (very slightly) low on wind. Other times, the warning light is on but the tyre pressure are correct. How do I know? I just checked them.
The worse niggle is some kind of random warning. You'll be driving along and suddenly there’s a loud beeping noise and a red blob on the driver’s information screen – but there’s no telling what it’s for or why it’s happened. It’s a mystery.
But while these niggles are disappointing, they’re not enough to ruin the Passat experience (although they do make us miss the Audi A6 and wonder if the equivalent Skoda superb also suffers similar issues). On the whole, the Passat is a great family car and one that is currently doing us proud... even if it has a few teething troubles.
How does our Passat cope with the Easter break?
Our Passat Estate gets put through its paces over the school holiday. It may lack the fun features of a people carrier but does it prove popular?
Date: 20 April 2016 | Current mileage: 4535 | Claimed economy: 61.4mpg | Actual economy: 46.3mpg
Nothing quite puts a family car through its paces like a holiday with the kids. Of all our recent test cars, the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso still holds the record for the fun factor.
Its glass panoramic roof meant my two girls could see the planes coming in over Heathrow (making an hour’s jam on the M25 fly by), while picnic tables meant every trip was fun.
By comparison, the Passat lacks some of the more fun features found in the French people carrier. But as a family car, we reckon it’s pretty much perfect. For a start, the boot easily coped with two large family suitcases, a couple of back packs and two Peppa Pig trolly bags loaded with dollies and sweets.
Ours even has a small shelf that moves forwards and backwards. Allowing you to get the heaviest bag in and easily move it to the back of the boot. In the rear, there’s plenty of space for the two full size booster seats. Which means I can get the drive done without being kicked in the back. Or having squash chucked over me.
Passat's boot space is an epic 1780 litres
After you’ve returned to the house once (or three times) to check doors have been locked, plugs turned off and gather respective teddy bears that have been left behind, you can sit back and relax as the Passat makes decent progress on the motorway.
Thanks to its fancy-pants adaptive cruise control, it’s a fairly stress-free driving experience. Even the stack around the Dartford Crossing isn’t a worry. In fact, you’ll probably spend more time worrying about whether or not you remember to pay the toll than the traffic.
There’s plenty of torque from the 2.0-litre diesel engine – so even though you’re four-up with luggage you won’t struggle to keep up with the cars around you.
And, if you keep that dial pegged at 70mph, you’ll see 49mpg returned. And, as you’re about to blow your life savings away on an overpriced, badly-made Costa and a stale cheese cob from a motorway service station, every little helps.
Winning the postcode lottery
Keith discovers a few hidden features in his Passat. Like how to put a postcode into the navigation system.
Date: 4 May 2016 | Current mileage: 4725 | Claimed economy: 61.4mpg | Actual economy: 46mpg
For the first few months after getting the keys to our Volkswagen Passat, I was convinced that the car didn’t have a full packet of biscuits in the satellite-navigation department. Sure it had city, road and intersection options… but where was the postcode entry?
On our Audi A6, there was a handy pad where you could draw the letters for the postcode (or anything else you wanted for that matter). But on the Passat there was nothing - no way of entering those handy letters and numbers. It didn’t really matter, I told myself. I mean, not all cars come with a postcode option on the navigation – just look at some of our long-term Citroens.
But, as with almost everything in my life, it turned out that I was wrong. Yep, it was me that was a digestive short of a full packet. There is indeed an option to input UK postcodes into the navigation – it’s just not very obvious. When you go to input the city, there’s a button on the display at the bottom left marked ‘pstcd’. It's obvious now, I know - but you’re unlikely to notice this as you’re too busy typing in your final destination.
And even when you press pstcd, it brings up numbers first (rather than letters) – so, all in all, it’s a bit counter–intuitive. Which, let’s face it, isn’t really what we’ve come to expect from a popular German brand that prides itself on simplicity and clear thinking.
Passat's postcode feature is well-hidden in the satellite navigation.
Another small victory came in the creation of a flat load bay when the seats were folded down. Our car is R-line spec, which basically means it has lots of shiny bits and sculpted seat, even in the back. For a while, I thought it was the, ahem, ‘dynamic contours’ stopping the seats folding flat, but then I realised that it was the headrests.
I audibly groaned when I thought I would have to take the headrests off every time I wanted to throw my bike or my guitar amp in the boot, but it turns out that inching the front seats forward a bit and adjusting the headrests up a few clicks is enough to get the job done. Sometimes, it’s the little things I’m grateful for.
As for the rest of the Passat experience, I’m pleased to report it’s all quiet on that front. Not as quiet as the Audi A6, granted, but as something of a Passat enthusiast I’ll admit to missing that distinctive diesel grumble in the cabin.
The Passat is a brilliant family car, though. Boring, yes – but brilliantly capable. And as it consistently returns 45-50mpg from everyday driving, it’s a lot better on the wallet than the A6.
Did the Passat deserve to be named car of the year?
In 2014, the Volkswagen Passat was named European Car of the Year? Keith wonders if it was a worthy winner...
Date: 19 May 2016 | Current mileage: 5890 | Claimed economy: 61.4mpg | Actual economy: 45.2mpg
The European Car of the Year award means different things to different people. For some, it’s a chance to celebrate those truly cutting-edge moments in car design (think the rotary-engined NSU Ro80), while for others it’s a chance to reward the best of the best. Porsche 928, anyone?
But for most people, it’s a not about cars at all – it’s a Eurovision-style beauty pageant laden with overtly political block voting. That might explain some of the more recent (and rather lacklustre winners). In 1996, the Fiat Bravo/Brava won with the judges commending the 'differention' (not a real word) of name and looks for the three- and five-door versions, as well as ‘reasonable performance’.
Now, I’m sorry, ‘reasonable performance’? This is the European Car of the Year – I don’t want the winner to have reasonable performance, I want it to have excellent performance. And I want it to lead the way with future innovation and technology in the automotive sector. Like a beacon of light to show others the way. Clearly, that’s a bit too much to ask because things didn’t improve over the next few years.
In 2002, the Peugeot 307 won. The judges noted its comfort-orientated suspension, big windshield, and functional cabin. At least the clean HDi diesel came with a particulate filter (a first for the sector at the time). And then the Opel Insignia won – a car so empty of enjoyment that it’s guaranteed to bring on early depression in anyone that drives it. What did the judges like about it? Not a lot – the ECOTY website simply says that year was a close contest.
Driver aids include traffic jam assist - which means the car accelerates and brakes by itself in jams.
So what have we learned? Mainly that dull, boring cars trump exciting innovators every time – certainly in the modern era (although back when it was launched in 1964 it was a different story with the Rover 2000, Austin 1800 and Citroen GS all taking the title).
Cynics will say it came as no surprise that in 2015 the Volkswagen Passat took the title, beating its nearest rival the Citroen C4 Cactus by nearly 100 points. But this time, it was (probably) the right call. The Cactus may look innovative, but it's very much style over substance - although it is practical and cheap. The eighth-generation Passat may be easy to file under ‘dull’, but it did break new ground when it was launched with three fairly groundbreaking bits of kit.
The emergency assist feature stops the vehicle in an emergency. The trailer assist offers help when manoeuvring a trailer. And traffic jam assist, where the cars slows and goes all by itself (you can read more about that here). The Cactus just has black bubble wrap taped to the doors.
For our money, the Passat is definitely the large family estate to have. It might not be as exciting to drive as the Ford Mondeo, but it’s certainly a fine place to spend a few hours – especially chugging up and down the motorway with a shedload of kit. And with the 2.0-litre diesel under the bonnet we regularly average 45-50mpg, which makes running it day-to-day a joy. A worthy European Car of the Year winner, then? For once, we think the judges got it right.
Tough times for our Passat estate
Our long-term Volkswagen has been in the wars this month with s few scrapes and dents. Poor thing.
Date: 2 June 2016 | Current mileage: 6516 | Claimed economy: 61.4mpg | Actual economy: 45mpg
It’s been a tough month for our long-term Passat as our intrepid Volkswagen family wagon has been on the receiving end of a few bumps and scrapes. It started when I returned to the car park to find that someone had opened their door into the Passat, leaving that tell-tale crease.
As I drove home cursing the fact that people can be so clumsy, little did I realise there was more back luck to follow. Parking in our local Co-op is beyond tight and as the lady next to me in her 16-plate Nissan X-Trail tried to reverse out of her space (on full lock) I could she was inches away from scraping the Volkswagen’s nearside front wing.
I put our test car in reverse and heard the sensors beep without intermission (a clear signal the car is as far back as it can go). I knew there was a couple of inches to find between the bumper and the bollard, but the automatic clutch meant that the car lurched back rather uncouthly, as opposed to smoothly creeping away from the X-Trail. And so I nudged the post that the car had been warning me about.
I guess this is how the robots take over. Humanity fails to heed the warnings and then – BANG. Before you know, it your iPhone is giving your orders and you’re under 24-hour surveillance. Oh, wait…
Passat has suffered a few knocks over the past few months.
The last Passat injury came from a bike rack that we had on test – the Thule Raceway. This top-of-the-range carrier is indeed a fine bit of kit, but it has one rather unfortunate flaw. When you take the bike off the rack, the unit carries a lot tension that makes it hard to release and stow the legs that carry the cycle.
In fact, trying to lower one of those legs is a two-handed job. And once you’ve released it, the leg flies down with a huge force and hits the car… and puts a dent in the boot panel. For a unit that costs nearly £300, you would think it would've have been designed with a little more thought.
The Raceway really needs a damped mechanism to make sure that the leg can’t got past the six o’clock position (and hit the panel). And rubber mounts on the ends of the legs to minimise panel damage. On a positive note, it is incredibly easy to mount on your car and easily carries two bikes.
With about six weeks left to run on our test, we're willing to bet the Passat will be glad to get back to Volkswagen for a rest and some much-needed TLC. We, however, will be very sad to see it go.
